1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to multiple methods for transacting, publishing and purchasing copyrighted digital content, and more particularly, to a copyrighted digital content publishing and management mechanism that provides a method for cooperation between different actors. The present invention achieves various sales methods and licensing methods through publishing copyrighted digital content description files, and effectually controlling the user's legal right to use copyrighted digital content.
2. Description of Related Art
A digital content provider currently has two methods in which they can publish digital content. Firstly, the digital content provider can provide a full copyright publishing mechanism including searching for, paying for and publishing the content. Otherwise the digital content provider can give a digital content file to a content publishing platform service provider and the content publishing platform service provider provides the publishing services. Either way, a full copyright publishing mechanism is provided from a single digital content provider.
Up until recently, each digital content provider manufactured their original content and designed and marketed the product. Following the development of the digital content industry, a professional division of labor has become established. Currently different digital content providers maintain their individual advantages in their own fields. However, without cooperating with other groups, most are incapable of finishing or publishing digital content by themselves.
A digital content provider provides an account and password for a user. To create an authorization-ID, the digital content provider utilizes a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) framework. The PKI framework is a scheme to sign and verify digital signatures. The digital content provider provides content and services only as described and permitted by the copyright owner. Some digital content providers do describe to their users the various rights and limitations placed on their usage of the content. However, a digital content provider cannot limit the user's actual use of the content and services after they have accessed it. These digital content providers utilize digital copyright description language and match a digital content accessing program with the content in an attempt to limits use by users that falls outside of the copyright. In general, a user must first connect to the application server of the digital content provider through a network. Next, the application server must be in accordance with the login account and password to create the authorization-ID so that the digital content file may be accessed.
There are several disadvantages to the above method designed for accessing different digital content programs. If the user wants to use a particular piece of digital content, the user must install the appropriate accessing program. This is inconvenient for the user. This method only provides a prepaid copyright online use method, while the original copyright owner cannot directly control the digital content publishing rights and define the license range rights. Before the content provider can use copyrighted material, they must define and reach an agreement with the copyright owner. It is a part of the software that cannot be modified by the user.
TW Publication No. 200302424, “System and method for controlling distribution of digital copyrighted material”, discloses a system and a method for direct peer-to-peer marketing of copyrighted digital products in which the seller and the purchaser of a copyrighted digital product are rewarded or compensated. Illegal distribution of the copyrighted product is meanwhile substantially prevented.
TW patent No. 515955, “System and read method of license data”, discloses a system and a read method of licensing data for a server's user utilities application software.
TW patent No. 528956, “Resource access license method and system”, discloses a novel method for a resource access license method and system. The method decreases the licensing fees that corporations pay to software service providers for developing software.
TW patent No. 571218, “Copyrighted digital content management system and method”, discloses a novel method for how license usage services apply for download digital content. The method makes certain digital content incapable of being used by illegal users.
US. Publication No. 20020108050 “System and Method for digital rights management using a standard rendering engine”, discloses a method and apparatus for facilitating distribution of protected documents displayed with the rendering engine of a standard application program, such as an Internet web browser.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,754,642 “Method and apparatus for dynamically assigning usage rights to digital works” discloses a method and an apparatus that monitors usage and adjusts usage rights in a predetermined method based upon the status of dynamic conditions.